Jane Eaton Hamilton lived in Ontario, St. Louis, Phoenix, NYC, Alberta,
outside Nelson, BC and on Saltspring Island before settling with her wife,
Joy Masuhara, and their two daughters, Sarah and Meghann Hamilton, in
Vancouver.

She is the author of six books nominated for many awards, including her
most recent, Hunger, a book of short fiction nominated for the Ferro-Grumley Award in the USA. Her poetry, non-fiction, and short fiction have won a wide variety of awards including twice the first prize in the Prism
International Short Story Contest, the Canadian Poetry Chapbook Award, the Belles Lettres Essay Award and the Yellow Silk award in the US, and, in 2003, first prize in the prestigious CBC Canadian Literary Awards.

Her writing has appeared widely, including in Seventeen magazine and the New York Times. Her writing recently appeared in the anthologies The Spirit of Writing (Penguin, Canada, ed: Mark Robert Waldman) and The Writer’s Presence 4e. (Bedford/St. Martin’s, ed: Robert Atwan). It has been cited as distinguished in the Pushcart Prize awards and Best American Short Stories. It has appeared in Canada’s Best Canadian Short Fiction and in Canada’s Journey Prize anthology.

Jane runs an active photojournalistic wedding and portrait studio, but also
finds time for fine art projects and extensive travel shooting. She loves
vibrantly saturated images and working to portray movement. “Still
photographs,” she says, “like the still surface of a pond, like an unfurling
petal. Still photography, but never dull.” Jane’s flower photography is
appearing in the one-women show A Hundred Petals Humming at Phoenix
Perennials in Richmond, BC, on May 15th. As well, her photographs of Bali will be shown in Jakarta, Indonesia, early in 2006.

Jane Eaton Hamilton is a community activist who, with her wife and several other couples across Canada, took the federal government to court to fight for same-sex marriage rights. Their case wound up as a reference question at the Supreme Court of Canada in 2004, and marriage rights have been granted across most of Canada. Jane and Joy wed in 2003.

For recreation, Jane Eaton Hamilton sketches and takes ballroom dance
lessons. She is also a Master Gardener and writes The Adequate Gardener column for yougrowgirl.com.

“Jane Eaton Hamilton is a fine and accomplished writer.” --Carol Shields


“Jane Eaton Hamilton is a superb writer. Those who know her deem her to be among the brightest lights on the Canadian literary landscape. Those who do not know this ought to read and judge for themselves. I wholeheartedly recommend her work.” --Joy Kogawa

JANE EATON HAMILTON Past WIPI Member